The Ultimate Picture Palace is an independent cinema in Oxford, England. It is Oxford's first and only independent cinema, showing an eclectic mix of independent, mainstream, foreign language, and classic films.

Contents

Frank Stuart opened Oxford's first cinema, the Electric Theatre, in Castle Street, in 1910. He was the licensee of the Elm Tree pub on the corner of Cowley Road and Jeune Street. Also in 1910 work started to build Stuart's second cinema on land in Jeune Street behind the Elm Tree. It opened on 24 February 1911 as the Oxford Picture Palace.[2]

In 1917 the manager was conscripted to serve in the First World War. The cinema was closed and stood unused for many years before being turned into as a furniture warehouse.[3]

In 1976 Bill Heine and Pablo Butcher[3] reopened the cinema as the Penultimate Picture Palace.[4] They added a sculpture of Al Jolson's hands by John Buckley to the façade.[2] The first film to be shown was Winstanley. Under the new management the cinema gained a reputation for showing an eclectic and provocative range of films that set it apart from the mainstream cinemas of the time.

In 1994 Heine closed the Penultimate Picture Palace.[5] For a month that summer it was squatted by the Oxford Freedom Network, which reopened it as Studio 6 Cinema. Then brothers Saied and Zaid Marham bought it and spent £40,000 restoring the neoclassical façade.[6] They reopened it as the Ultimate Picture Palace in June 1996.

In the 2000s the cinema got into debt. In July 2009 Saied Marham sold it to Philippa Farrow and Jane Derricott, who installed a small refreshment bar at the west end of the auditorium.[5]

In 2011 Farrow and Derricott sold the cinema to Becky Hallsmith. In 2014, as a result of a successful Kickstarter Campaign, Hallsmith had the auditorium refurbished with new seats.[3]

1.
Cowley Road, Oxford
–
The central shopping is at 51. 746°N1. 232°W﻿ /51.746, -1.232 Cowley Road is also the main shopping street of east Oxford, and in the evenings it is the areas main leisure district. Cowley Road has an ethnically and economically diverse population and this includes significant, long-standing South-Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities, who have been joined more recently by East European, Chinese and African arrivals. Alongside these ethnic groups, East Oxford plays host to members of the citys academic population. Cowley Road has high levels of road traffic and pedestrian traffic, and space for both is limited. In 2005, Oxfordshire County Council invested about £1,000,000 from central government to re-model the busiest part of Cowley Road, the Cowley Road area has played a prominent part in the Oxford music scene. A number of successful bands made their performances in local venues such as the O2 Academy Oxford. Famous Oxford bands have included Supergrass, Radiohead and Ride, Cowley Road Carnival has become an integral part of contemporary Oxford. In 2014 and 2015 it attracted 45,000 visitors, in 2016 it was held on 10 July. Cowley Road Carnival Ultimate Picture Palace, James Street, off Cowley Road Attlee, James

2.
Oxford Bus Company
–
Oxford Bus Company is a bus operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group, a City of Oxford Tramways Company horse-drawn tram system first operated in Oxford in 1881. In 1906 its operation was taken over by the City of Oxford Electric Tramway Company and this did not in fact electrify the tramway, but in 1913/14, and under threat of competition from William Morris, replaced the trams with Daimler buses. In 1921 the company was renamed City of Oxford Motor Services Limited and continued to expand its operations into the surrounding countryside, from the 1930s the company was controlled by British Electric Traction with the Great Western Railway also having a shareholding. Most of the fleet comprised AEC vehicles in the red livery with green. On becoming a subsidiary of the National Bus Company in 1969, moves towards greater integration of city, a particularly acute problem for the operator was the competition for staff with Morris Motors whose works was located close to the Oxford garage. One solution was the move to one person operation of buses during the 1970s, following several trials, the Oxford company has operated the city’s pioneering park and ride bus services since 1978, the year in which the London express service on its present routing began. In 1983 the operation was split into separate Oxford and South Midland units, the Oxford Bus Company was allocated the Oxford city services and the London routes, and South Midland was allocated the remainder of the network. Both companies were subject to management buyouts, the South Midland company was soon resold to Thames Transit who introduced minibus competition, countered by the Oxford Bus Company under the brand name Oxford City Nipper. In 1990 the Oxford Bus Company acquired the High Wycombe operations of the Bee Line, on March 1994 Oxford Bus Company was sold to the Go-Ahead Group. In 2000 Go-Ahead sold the High Wycombe operations to Arriva, the companys long-standing main depot site in Cowley Road, Oxford was closed in 2004 in favour after a new depot opened in Watlington Road. In July 2009 Oxford Bus Company commenced operating the BROOKESbus under contract to the Oxford Brookes University, in 2011 and 2012 the Go-Ahead Group purchased Thames Travel and Carousel Buses and brought these under the management of Oxford Bus Company although they retain their separate identities. All Oxford Bus Company buses and coaches have automatic vehicle location equipment installed which works via GPS technology, the AVL equipment is also coupled to a real-time passenger information system at over 250 bus stop display screens around Oxford City and surrounding towns, and via a smartphone app. This coupled information technology system gives the public predicted times of bus and coach services around Oxford City, Oxfordshire County Council also use this information technology to provide traffic-light priority for buses at various road junctions. The real-time passenger information system is managed by Oxontime, which is a partnership between various bus companies and Oxfordshire County Council. Oxford Bus Company currently operates services under five brands, As at April 2015 the fleet consists of 163 buses and coaches. List of bus operators of the United Kingdom Media related to Oxford Bus Company at Wikimedia Commons Oxford Bus Company website Showbus gallery

3.
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire
–
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is a bus operator based in Oxford. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach, in the 1990s Stagecoach South Midlands was formed from Midland Red and Thames Transit were both purchased by Stagecoach. In March 2004 Stagecoach in Oxfordshire and Stagecoach in Warwickshire were split to two separate divisions with those names. Buses in Oxford operate in competition with buses operated by the Oxford Bus Company. Oxford is one of the few UK cities where such free and unsubsidised competition, as envisaged by the architects of bus deregulation in the 1980s, similarly the Oxford Tube services competes with the Oxford Bus Companys X90 Oxford-London service. On 15 July 2010, Stagecoach in Oxfordshire introduced a fleet of hybrid buses on Routes 1. Double deckers were selected over single deckers as a result of the co-ordinated timetables, the Oxford Tube currently operates a fleet of 26 Van Hool Astromega double decker coaches on limited stops services from Oxford to London Victoria. On 3 March 2014 Stagecoach Group announced that they had just made their biggest vehicle order to date, costing Stagecoach over £100 million in total, the order included 26 brand new VanHool TX Astromega coaches to operate the Oxford Tube service. The first of the new coaches entered service on 16 July 2014 with the fleet following shortly after. In 2009 Stagecoach in Oxfordshire launched the S-Series which was intended to be a superior service. Several routes connecting towns/villages with Oxford joined this series which saw free WiFi being added to the vehicles as well as some routes receiving brand new vehicles. The first routes to join the S-Series were routes 100 and 200 from Carterton and Witney to Oxford, Routes connecting Oxford with Chipping Norton/Charlbury and Oxford with Bicester also joined the series. In 2010 Stagecoach upgraded routes S1 and S2 to Stagecoach Gold routes which saw brand new buses with free WiFi. The Stagecoach Gold brand was later applied to routes S3. In September 2011 Stagecoach created route S4 which saw routes 59/59A/59B join the S-Series, Stagecoach in Oxfordshire confirmed in May 2015 that route S4 will be receiving the Stagecoach Gold with the upgraded service launched in September 2015. In July 2014 Stagecoach launched route S7 between Carterton and Headington which was intended to connect West Oxfordshire with the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington, the S7 service has since been revised and now starts in Witney and no longer serves Carterton or Minster Lovell. In October 2014 Stagecoach launched route SW1 linking Carterton and Witney with London on weekends, on 17 April 2015 Stagecoach Oxfordshire confirmed that they would be ending the SW1 service due to low passenger numbers. Ten brand new Stagecoach Gold ADL Enviro 400 MMCs were delivered to Oxford depot in December 2016 and these new buses are currently in service on the new 7 service between Woodstock and Oxford, as well as routes X30 and 31 between Wantage and Oxford

4.
Thames Travel
–
Thames Travel is a bus operator based in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group, Thames Travel was founded on 14 April 1998 by John Wright with four buses. Thames Travel has also benefited from operators including First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, Reading Buses and Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, however in recent years smaller competitors including Heyfordian, RH Transport, Weavaway Travel and Whites Coaches have won work that Thames Travel had operated. In May 2011 Thames Travel was purchased by Go-Ahead Group, as of May 2015, the fleet consisted of 52 buses. The fleet is numbered in the Oxford Bus Company series, the main fleet is made up of ex-Oxford Bus Company Mercedes Benz Citaros, along with a number of Optare Solos and newer Solo SRs. Depots are located in Wallingford and Oxford, with outstations in Reading, Thames Travel vehicles have been involved in three major accidents, widely reported in the local media. All happened on the A4074 road, locally known as the 13 bends of death. In the first accident, on July 21,2006, a 26-year-old woman was killed after colliding head on with a Thames Travel MCV Evolution bodied Dennis Dart SLF number 155 in plain white livery. It was found that she did this to avoid a collision with two cars coming towards her, who had been recklessly overtaking numerous other cars before the accident, as a result of the collision, both vehicles caught fire and were completely destroyed. The bus was replaced with the intake of new vehicles. The two brothers arrested after the incident were charged and jailed for a total of 15 years for the accident, the second accident, on 28 January 2008, involved an MCV Evolution bodied MAN14.220 number 256. It collided in fog with a Land Rover that was turning off the road across the buss path, the Land Rover landed on its side, the bus in a ditch. The accident happened on the A4074 at its junction with the B4526 road, the third, on 14 October 2014, involved a Mercedes Citaro number 853. A van collided with the Thames Travel bus travelling along the A4074, leaving the bus driver, list of bus companies in the United Kingdom Company website Showbus gallery

5.
World War I
–
World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history and it was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. The war drew in all the worlds great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances, the Allies versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war, Italy, Japan, the trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This set off a crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia. Within weeks, the powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July, the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia, Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise, and when this was refused, declared war on Russia on 1 August. Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, after the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition, with a trench line that changed little until 1917. On the Eastern Front, the Russian army was successful against the Austro-Hungarians, in November 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and the Sinai. In 1915, Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers, Romania joined the Allies in 1916, after a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918, the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives. By the end of the war or soon after, the German Empire, Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, national borders were redrawn, with several independent nations restored or created, and Germanys colonies were parceled out among the victors. During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Big Four imposed their terms in a series of treaties, the League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict. This effort failed, and economic depression, renewed nationalism, weakened successor states, and feelings of humiliation eventually contributed to World War II. From the time of its start until the approach of World War II, at the time, it was also sometimes called the war to end war or the war to end all wars due to its then-unparalleled scale and devastation. In Canada, Macleans magazine in October 1914 wrote, Some wars name themselves, during the interwar period, the war was most often called the World War and the Great War in English-speaking countries. Will become the first world war in the sense of the word. These began in 1815, with the Holy Alliance between Prussia, Russia, and Austria, when Germany was united in 1871, Prussia became part of the new German nation. Soon after, in October 1873, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors between the monarchs of Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany

6.
Al Jolson
–
Al Jolson was an American singer, film actor, and comedian. At the peak of his career, he was dubbed The Worlds Greatest Entertainer and his performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized a large number of songs that benefited from his shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach. Numerous well-known singers were influenced by his music, including Bing Crosby, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Dylan once referred to him as somebody whose life I can feel. Broadway critic Gilbert Seldes compared him to the Greek god Pan, claiming that Jolson represented the concentration of our national health, in the 1930s, Jolson was Americas most famous and highest-paid entertainer. Between 1911 and 1928, Jolson had nine sell-out Winter Garden shows in a row, more than 80 hit records, and 16 national and international tours. Although he is best remembered today as the star of the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with The Jolson Story, for which Larry Parks played Jolson, the formula was repeated in a sequel, Jolson Sings Again. In 1950, he became the first star to entertain GIs on active service in the Korean War. He died just weeks after returning to the U. S. partly owing to the exertion of performing. Defense Secretary George Marshall posthumously awarded him the Medal of Merit, According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, Jolson was to jazz, blues, and ragtime what Elvis Presley was to rock n roll. Being the first popular singer to make a spectacular event out of singing a song and his specialty was performing on stage runways extending out into the audience. According to music historian Larry Stempel, No one had heard anything quite like it before on Broadway, author Stephen Banfield agreed, writing that Jolsons style was arguably the single most important factor in defining the modern musical. Jolson also enjoyed performing in blackface makeup, a convention since the mid-19th century. With his unique and dynamic style of singing black music, such as jazz and blues, as early as 1911, he became known for fighting against black discrimination on Broadway. Al Jolson was born as Asa Yoelson in the Jewish village of Srednik now known as Seredžius, near Kaunas in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. He was the fifth and youngest child of Moses Rubin Yoelson and Nechama Naomi Cantor, his four siblings were Rose, Etta, another sister who died in infancy, and Hirsch. Jolson claimed not to know when he was born, and later chose to claim he was born on May 26,1886. His one-time sister-in-law, Margaret Weatherwax, claimed Jolson was the age as their father, Ralph

7.
Squatting
–
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential—that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. Author Robert Neuwirth suggested in 2004 that there were one billion squatters globally and he forecasts there will be two billion by 2030 and three billion by 2050. Yet, according to Kesia Reeve, squatting is largely absent from policy and academic debate and is rarely conceptualised, as a problem, as a symptom, Squatting can be related to political movements, such as anarchist, autonomist, or socialist. It can be a means to conserve buildings or to provide housing, while these settlements may, in time, grow to become both legalised and indistinguishable from normal residential neighbourhoods, they start off as squats with minimal basic infrastructure. Thus, there is no sewage system, drinking water must be bought from vendors or carried from a nearby tap, besides being residences, some squats are used as social centres or host give-away shops, pirate radio stations or cafés. In Spanish-speaking countries, squatters receive several names, such as okupas in Spain, Chile or Argentina, Squatting by necessity is in itself a political issue, therefore also a statement or rather a response to the political system causing it. During the period of recession and increased housing foreclosures in the 2000s, squatting became far more prevalent in Western. In some cases, need-based and politically motivated squatting go hand in hand, conservational – i. e. preserving monuments because the authorities have let them decay Political – e. g. Property law and the state have traditionally favored the property owner, however, in many cases where squatters had de facto ownership, laws have been changed to legitimize their status. Anarchist Colin Ward comments, Squatting is the oldest mode of tenure in the world and this is as true of the Queen with her 176,000 acres as it is of the 54 percent of householders in Britain who are owner-occupiers. They are all the recipients of stolen land, for to regard our planet as a commodity offends every conceivable principle of natural rights. U. K. police official Sue Williams, for example, has stated that Squatting is linked to Anti-Social Behaviour and can cause a great deal of nuisance, in some cases there may also be criminal activities involved. The public attitude toward squatting varies, depending on legal aspects, socioeconomic conditions, in particular, while squatting of municipal buildings may be treated leniently, squatting of private property often leads to strong negative reaction on the part of the public and authorities. Adverse possession is a method of acquiring title to property through possession for a period under certain conditions. Countries where this principle exists include England and the United States, however, some non-common law jurisdictions have laws similar to adverse possession. For example, Louisiana has a doctrine called acquisitive prescription. There are large communities in Kenya, such as Kibera in Nairobi. An estimated 1,000 people live in the Grande Hotel Beira in Mozambique, the Zabbaleen settlement and the City of the Dead are both well-known squatter communities in Cairo

8.
Neoclassical architecture
–
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century. In its purest form, it is a style derived from the architecture of classical antiquity, the Vitruvian principles. In form, Neoclassical architecture emphasizes the wall rather than chiaroscuro, Neoclassical architecture is still designed today, but may be labelled New Classical Architecture for contemporary buildings. In Central and Eastern Europe, the style is referred to as Classicism. Many early 19th-century neoclassical architects were influenced by the drawings and projects of Étienne-Louis Boullée, the many graphite drawings of Boullée and his students depict spare geometrical architecture that emulates the eternality of the universe. There are links between Boullées ideas and Edmund Burkes conception of the sublime, the baroque style had never truly been to the English taste. The most popular was the four-volume Vitruvius Britannicus by Colen Campbell, the book contained architectural prints of famous British buildings that had been inspired by the great architects from Vitruvius to Palladio. At first the book featured the work of Inigo Jones. Palladian architecture became well established in 18th-century Britain, at the forefront of the new school of design was the aristocratic architect earl, Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, in 1729, he and William Kent, designed Chiswick House. This House was a reinterpretation of Palladios Villa Capra, but purified of 16th century elements and this severe lack of ornamentation was to be a feature of the Palladianism. In 1734 William Kent and Lord Burlington designed one of Englands finest examples of Palladian architecture with Holkham Hall in Norfolk, the main block of this house followed Palladios dictates quite closely, but Palladios low, often detached, wings of farm buildings were elevated in significance. This classicising vein was also detectable, to a degree, in the Late Baroque architecture in Paris. This shift was even visible in Rome at the redesigned façade for S, by the mid 18th century, the movement broadened to incorporate a greater range of Classical influences, including those from Ancient Greece. The shift to neoclassical architecture is conventionally dated to the 1750s, in France, the movement was propelled by a generation of French art students trained in Rome, and was influenced by the writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann. The style was adopted by progressive circles in other countries such as Sweden. A second neoclassic wave, more severe, more studied and more consciously archaeological, is associated with the height of the Napoleonic Empire, in France, the first phase of neoclassicism was expressed in the Louis XVI style, and the second in the styles called Directoire or Empire. The Scottish architect Charles Cameron created palatial Italianate interiors for the German-born Catherine II the Great in St. Petersburg, indoors, neoclassicism made a discovery of the genuine classic interior, inspired by the rediscoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum. These had begun in the late 1740s, but only achieved an audience in the 1760s

9.
The Guardian
–
The Guardian is a British daily newspaper, known from 1821 until 1959 as the Manchester Guardian. Along with its sister papers The Observer and The Guardian Weekly, The Guardian is part of the Guardian Media Group, the Scott Trust became a limited company in 2008, with a constitution to maintain the same protections for The Guardian. Profits are reinvested in journalism rather than to the benefit of an owner or shareholders, the Guardian is edited by Katharine Viner, who succeeded Alan Rusbridger in 2015. In 2016, The Guardians print edition had a daily circulation of roughly 162,000 copies in the country, behind The Daily Telegraph. The newspaper has an online UK edition as well as two international websites, Guardian Australia and Guardian US, the newspapers online edition was the fifth most widely read in the world in October 2014, with over 42.6 million readers. Its combined print and online editions reach nearly 9 million British readers, notable scoops include the 2011 News International phone hacking scandal, in particular the hacking of murdered English teenager Milly Dowlers phone. The investigation led to the closure of the UKs biggest selling Sunday newspaper, and one of the highest circulation newspapers in the world, in 2016, it led the investigation into the Panama Papers, exposing the then British Prime Minister David Camerons links to offshore bank accounts. The Guardian has been named Newspaper of the Year four times at the annual British Press Awards, the paper is still occasionally referred to by its nickname of The Grauniad, given originally for the purported frequency of its typographical errors. The Manchester Guardian was founded in Manchester in 1821 by cotton merchant John Edward Taylor with backing from the Little Circle and they launched their paper after the police closure of the more radical Manchester Observer, a paper that had championed the cause of the Peterloo Massacre protesters. They do not toil, neither do they spin, but they better than those that do. When the government closed down the Manchester Observer, the champions had the upper hand. The influential journalist Jeremiah Garnett joined Taylor during the establishment of the paper, the prospectus announcing the new publication proclaimed that it would zealously enforce the principles of civil and religious Liberty. Warmly advocate the cause of Reform, endeavour to assist in the diffusion of just principles of Political Economy and. Support, without reference to the party from which they emanate, in 1825 the paper merged with the British Volunteer and was known as The Manchester Guardian and British Volunteer until 1828. The working-class Manchester and Salford Advertiser called the Manchester Guardian the foul prostitute, the Manchester Guardian was generally hostile to labours claims. The Manchester Guardian dismissed strikes as the work of outside agitators –, if an accommodation can be effected, the occupation of the agents of the Union is gone. CP Scott made the newspaper nationally recognised and he was editor for 57 years from 1872, and became its owner when he bought the paper from the estate of Taylors son in 1907. Under Scott, the moderate editorial line became more radical, supporting William Gladstone when the Liberals split in 1886

10.
Oxford
–
Oxford is a city in the South East region of England and the county town of Oxfordshire. With an estimated 2015 population of 168,270, it is the 52nd largest city in the United Kingdom, the city is situated 57 miles from London,69 miles from Bristol,65 miles from both Southampton and Birmingham and 25 miles from Reading. The city is known worldwide as the home of the University of Oxford, buildings in Oxford demonstrate notable examples of every English architectural period since the late Saxon period. Oxford is known as the city of dreaming spires, a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold, Oxford has a broad economic base. Its industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing and a number of information technology and science-based businesses. Oxford was first settled in Saxon times and was known as Oxenaforda, meaning Ford of the Oxen. It began with the establishment of a crossing for oxen around AD900. In the 10th century, Oxford became an important military frontier town between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and was on several occasions raided by Danes, Oxford was heavily damaged during the Norman Invasion of 1066. Following the conquest, the town was assigned to a governor, Robert DOyly, the castle has never been used for military purposes and its remains survive to this day. DOyly set up a community in the castle consisting of a chapel. The community never grew large but it earned its place in history as one of Britains oldest places of formal education and it was there that in 1139 Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his History of the Kings of Britain, a compilation of Arthurian legends. Mary at Oseney and to the canons serving God in that place and we have made this concession and confirmation in the Common council of the City and we have confirmed it with our common seal. These are those who have made this concession and confirmation, a grandson of King John established Rewley Abbey for the Cistercian Order, and friars of various orders all had houses of varying importance at Oxford. Parliaments were often held in the city during the 13th century, the Provisions of Oxford were instigated by a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort, these documents are often regarded as Englands first written constitution. Richard I of England and John, King of England the sons of Henry II of England, were born at Beaumont Palace in Oxford, on 8 September 1157 and 24 December 1166 respectively. A plaque in Beaumont Street commemorates these events, the University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. Of the hundreds of Aularian houses that sprang up across the city, what put an end to the halls was the emergence of colleges. Oxfords earliest colleges were University College, Balliol and Merton and these colleges were established at a time when Europeans were starting to translate the writings of Greek philosophers

11.
Castle Street, Oxford
–
Castle Street is a street in Oxford, England. It is named after Oxford Castle which is close by to the west and is located in the St Ebbes area of southwest central Oxford, castell Streate can be found on a map of 1578 by Ralph Agas. In 1885, Castle Terrace was built by F. J. Codd in the adjoining Paradise Street and this became Simon House, run by the Cyreneans. To the north there is a junction with New Road and Queen Street, the Westgate Shopping Centre is to east at the northern end of the street. Media related to Castle Street, Oxford at Wikimedia Commons

12.
Conscription in the United Kingdom
–
Conscription in the United Kingdom has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1920, the second was from 1939 to 1960, conscription during the First World War began when the British government passed the Military Service Act in 1916. The act specified that men aged 18 to 40 years old were liable to be called up for military service unless they were widowed with children or ministers of a religion. The law went through several changes before the war ended, married men were exempt in the original Act, although this was changed in June 1916. The age limit was eventually raised to 51 years old. Recognition of work of national importance also diminished, and in the last year of the war there was support for the conscription of clergy. Due to the situation in Ireland, conscription was never applied there, only in England, Scotland. Only single men 20 to 22 years old were liable to be called up, to emphasise this distinction, each man was issued with a suit in addition to a uniform. The intention was for the first intake to undergo six months of training before being discharged into an active reserve. They would then be recalled for short training periods and attend an annual camp, at the outbreak of war, on 3 September 1939, the Military Training Act was overtaken by the National Service Act, and the first intake was absorbed into the army. This act imposed a liability to conscription of all men 18 to 41 years old, men could be rejected for medical reasons, and those engaged in vital industries or occupations were reserved at a particular age beyond which no one in that job would be enlisted. For example, lighthouse keepers were reserved at 18 years old, from 1943, some conscripts were directed into the British coal mining industry and become known as the Bevin Boys. This included their own children, legitimate or illegitimate, stepchildren, pregnant women were not exempted, but in practice were not called up. Men under 20 years old were not liable to be sent overseas. People called up before they were 51 years old but who reached their 51st birthday during their service were liable to serve until the end of the war. People who had retired, resigned or been dismissed from the forces before the war were liable to be called if they had not reached 51 years of age. Britain did not completely demobilise in 1945, as conscription continued after the war and those already in the armed forces were given a release class determined by length of service and age. In practice, releases began in June 1945, and the last of the conscripts had been released by 1949

An Alexander Dennis Enviro400H diesel-electric hybrid bus in September 2013 on Banbury Road, Cutteslowe, Oxford on route 2B, one of the routes with joint timetabling under the Oxford Bus Quality Partnership

Oxford is a city in the South East region of England and the county town of Oxfordshire. With an estimated 2016 …

From top left to bottom right: Oxford skyline panorama from St Mary's Church; Radcliffe Camera; High Street from above looking east; University College; High Street by night; Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum.